Armani Corvidaen
Known Information ad-libbed by Armani "Well I was raised by two people who I guess were my mother and father... I don't remember exactly who they were… But I do remember a phrase uttered by my father almost daily... "A man must give his flesh and blood to the Empire"... Y'know... if you didn't grow up in the Empire, you would find their way of life appalling... but it was truly the cycle of life at a primal state... If you didn't fight, you died, plain and simple… There was less nurture than there was nature... But my parents knew better than that... Or at least I think they did... They fought tooth and nail to survive the kingdom and we were... too poor to go anywhere else... Anyway uh... I don't remember how they actually disappeared... I remember my father talking to my mother in this... seemingly worried tone as I was hiding in a small cupboard... There was a crash and a bang and a shriek and... not much else... I don't remember when I came out but when I did... I-I couldn't find them... I was scooped up by a group of soldiers, I believe, a few days afterward when they realized there was something still in the house… I was then placed into, uh… A-A camp of some sort… There were a lot of other children like me… Some looked so shaken… Others were strangely quiet… So, in the Empire, there was something called the legion… It was where you were trained even more… Becoming Imperials under the Empress, herself… I… didn’t quite make the cut… And fortunately, I didn’t make that cut… I don’t remember much of my training but if I think too hard about it, I start to feel my body ache and burn… Who knows what could have happened if I was part of the legion… When I got to be much older, I found that my training… wasn’t quite enough… The wars and battles I was in were nothing but little skirmishes… I needed something to entertain me… Death was death of course… But I needed a hobby… It started out small... I came after the second-class since... Well… No one was going to miss them, right?... And-And certainly, not in the Empire… These were small instances that-that couldn’t quite interest me enough… But the more bored I was, the craftier I got... I remember turning my hobby into a job… Going after bigger fish, so to speak... I remember getting hires and targets in exchange for food or money... Of course, I would only do this in the dead of night to keep most of my identity a-a secret… I remember the terrified looks of families as I entered their homes... I remember the smell of blood that would linger in my senses after a fresh kill... I remember the light leaving a man's eyes after strangling him to death with his own belt... Oh Gods I think I might be sick… But... I do remember a nickname locals gave me... The Pale Raven... Ravens are a common sign of death after all... I guess they were too terrified to turn me in… Or they couldn’t quite recognize me in broad daylight… It’s fortunate that I wasn’t caught then… Uh… I do remember that I received a mysterious letter one evening... it was a typical job posting but a name caught my eye... Archduke Terrance Calis III... His name means nothing to me now... I don't even know who he was a duke of... But it sounded rich to me... it would have given me enough to move away... I set off on my little quest... Leaving my home with only the clothes I have on now... When I got to the place something felt... off... Like I shouldn't have been there... But it was already too late for me to consider turning back... I was ambushed by a group of assailants... I’d like to think the letter was a red herring sent by agents of the archduke... The Empire always taught that you should never fight alone... Well... they never did tell you how to spot an ambush...” --- Update #1 - The Dream Since my awakening, I’ve begun to recover quite a bit. My mind is still broken and my memories in pieces. The city of Solace is an interesting place and the people inhabiting even more so. I met a man, a Dacian. In my introduction to him, he was visibly curious about my name – if I was Dacian myself. Though I said no, that small interaction had got me thinking. About myself, my heritage. Even though I can’t remember, his familiarity, his demeanor, his mask… it reawakened something in me. Maybe there’s more to my story than I give myself credit for. After I went to sleep the second night of my reawakening, I began to have vivid dreams. All sorts of colors poured into my dreamscape and tapestries of symbols and masks began to outline the skyline. It was there that I saw a man in the distance. I couldn’t see his face as his back was turned to me but he felt… familiar. He looked older than the patrons I met in Solace, dressed in fine but humbling robes as his greying hair hung down his back. In his right hand was a small mask. Curiously I stepped forward but with each step he seemed to be farther and farther away. I tried to call out to him but my voice was not heard. In place of my voice were millions of echoing whispers and screams, slowed down and haunting. The man slowly raised his right hand to put on the mask as he turned to look toward my direction. There were no facial features to define him. All there was, was his mask. As I got closer, I studied the mask closer. It was like a caricature of a crow with frayed feathers and silver linings. Suddenly a male voice rang out into the landscape. It echoed much like the screams but it focused and slowly became clear. “Armani… I should not have left-” I awoke before I could hear what he had to say. I tried to get back to sleep – to see him again. But there was… nothing. Before I contemplated what to do next, a voice called out to me outside my tent. I opened it to find a carrier, just on their mail route. I was slightly annoyed by this interaction but what they handed to me instantly changed my demeanor. In their hand, a letter addressed to me… and a mask. Summary INFORMATION * Full Name: Armani Rammus Corvidaen * Pronunciation: Ar-mah-nee Ray-mous Kor-vi-dayn * Age: Adult (~25/28) * Alias: The Pale Raven * Gender/Sex: Female, Female * Birth-Place: The Nadine Empire * Religious Affliation: Nameless Faith/Not Associated PERSONALITY * Pre-Death: 'Armani was very cold and stoic with those that associated with her. She preferred to keep her contacts either on a first-name basis or a no-name basis if they were too shady to bargain with. Often kept to herself and discouraged making personal relationships with others if they didn’t offer anything useful to her such as income. * '''Post-Death and Revival: '''With her reawakening, Armani has a tough time remembering her past life. And along with it, she lost most of her previous personality. She seems calmer and more collected now, more happy and carefree about certain things. Of course, she still retains a bit of coldness but that’s just natural. Allies *No known allies. Enemies *No known enemies. Rumors * Rumor has it Armani came back to hunt the Uldraven's! * Armani likes hugs. Quotes * ''"A man must give his flesh and blood to the Empire." ''~Armani, pre-death. Character Inspirations *Major Motoko Kusanagi (''Ghost in the Shell/Ghost in the Shell SAC) *Black Widow (The Avengers) *Repo! The Genetic Opera Song Inspirations '''Armani's Main Theme: Inner Universe Instrumental Cover by kLEM ENtiNE * Mordred's Lullaby - Heather Dale * Between the Bars - Elliot Smith * Pay the Man - Foster the People